Tag Archives: Lake Bluff

Uncategorized

Salad and Conversation

2 Comments

Day 82 in my attempt to accomplish something everyday to be as healthy as I possibly can be when I go to the Magic Kingdom to meet Mickey next October

This evening, after a full day of work and before a contemporary band rehearsal tonight, I get to meet up with some dear friends at the Silo, our local watering hole.  Some of these friends I blessedly get to see often, and some of these friends I seldom get to see.  What a treat!!  What a joy!!

So here’s my 2-part plan for today:

  1. Rather than ordering pizza (the best deep-dish pizza in Chicagoland in my very prejudiced opinion), I will order a salad.  Now before you feel too sorry for me, this salad has spinach, romaine lettuce, steak, roasted garlic, red onions and bleu cheese crumbles.  Huh?  And it comes with warm bread.  I will either split this with my honey, or take half of it home (if Mike wants pizza or a something else).  Ahhh…YUM!
  2. I will focus on the conversation and the company, rather than my usual pattern of zoning in on the food (and making the company second best).

So today’s plan is very do-able, and I need that today.  Tomorrow we are predicted to have gale-force winds, rain, and snow flurries.  Instead of cowering inside, I want to take a walk on the wild side and get out there in the elements.  It may be one of the shortest walks in history, but it will be a walk.  Stay tuned to see details on how that turns out.  🙂 And due to the weather, I may put my celebratory Halloween cupcake off for a day.  I hate driving far in nasty weather!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, dear friends, and thank you for your support.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

 

 

Uncategorized

Luxuriating in Lake Bluff

Leave a comment

Day 75 in my amble to the Magic Kingdom and my friend Mickey

My plan for today is to take a walk.  I hope to take a twenty minute walk after work today.  It is a beautiful day here in Lake Bluff, about 60 degrees and sunny.  There is a gentle breeze and plenty of fall color left to enjoy.

The merchants in town had an event yesterday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  They stayed open late , had free samples, and most things were 10% off.

  1. So I stopped after work at “Spice Merchants,” a new shop in town.  I picked up some powdered cumin, and they even had powdered white vanilla that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else.  Whoop!  They also had some pre-packaged soup mixes, so I picked up a couple of those too.  This shop is a wonderful addition to our community.
  2. Then I wandered over to “Wisma” to shop for dinner.  What a great shop!  Gourmet foods made with organic ingredients, and oh by the way, the food is delicious!  Mike and I had butternut squash soup with pretzel rolls and chicken with polenta for dinner.  Plus I added plenty of fresh veg with Ranch dip.  What a feast!

So today I am going to stop and smell the fall in Lake Bluff.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

Taking Steps to Change

Leave a comment

Day 68 in trucking toward Mickey

Yesterday’s plan was a success!  The VHS tape that I was looking for is titled, “The Lean Body Workout” with Cynthia Kereluk.  It was put out by Sybervision Systems.  It’s a lean body aerobics workout.  It has plenty of cardio with gentle movements for someone of my girth.  (I can properly use the word girth because the distance around my circumference is rather significant.)  🙂

It wasn’t where I thought I had last seen it, but Mike went into the maze that is our basement and came upstairs with it.  He’s just the best!  So…tomorrow you can pretty much guess what my plan will be…

Today, however, my plan is this: I want to go for a twenty minute walk after work today.  Maybe I’ll stop in town on the way home and walk there.  The fall colors are really blooming in Lake Bluff this week, so I will revel in their beauty as I stroll through town.  I may wax poetic here, but the truth is I will be sweating and huffing and puffing my way up and down the blocks.  But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be whistling a happy tune in my head, too.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

A Day of Charming Choices

4 Comments

Day 56 in my marathon to mambo with Mickey

Victory number one today: we met Jake and Eliza at Walker Brothers Pancake House in Highland Park.  I ordered the “Healthy Plate.”  It consisted of scrambled egg whites, fruit, and wheat germ granola pancakes with sugar-free syrup.  It was delicious!  I left two of four pancakes on my plate and some of the egg whites.

Victory number two: today’s plan was to walk for twenty minutes.  Because Emi had some shopping to do at Target, I stood and walked for 35 minutes!  Mischief managed, dear readers!   Or done deal, Dudes!

Victory number three: while we were there I shopped for the ingredients for “Weight  Watchers Chili.”  So good!  Tomato juice, black beans, dark red kidney beans, green beans and pinto beans tonight.  I usually include lean ground beef or ground turkey, but Emi is a vegetarian, so tonight’s version will just be extra beanie.  🙂  And I usually add a can of bean sprouts, because it’s like having noodles in the chili, but they didn’t have bean sprouts at Target.  Plus I’ll sauté onion and garlic first and add spices: chili powder, oregano, basil, red pepper, black pepper.  I don’t add salt to the pot because of the salt in the tomato juice and some of the canned beans.  I did manage to find some low-sodium beans though.

So all in all another fabulous day in Lake Bluff.  A special shout out to Jake and Eliza who are running their first 5K tonight…in the dark…through a graveyard.  Sounds about like a 5K that Jake would run, hey?  Love it!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

Uncategorized

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

4 Comments

Day 38 in walking toward Mickey

To quote Mr. Rogers, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.  Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?”  The sun is shining today in Lake Bluff, and we’ll hit the low-60s, temperature-wise.  So…here’s my plan for today: I will take a walk after work.  I think I’ll stop in beautiful downtown Lake Bluff  and walk those pretty streets again.  I will aim for a 20 minute walk.  Still not an easy thing for me!

I’ll try to imagine myself strolling up Main Street USA toward beautiful Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom.  That should put a spring in my step, and a smile on my face.  I need to work on really embracing walking, instead of trudging through it.  A walk is good, instead of evil, right?   🙂  I need to do some serious praying about getting some help to love exercise, because right now it’s still on par with Chinese water torture, for me.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”     Philippians 4:13 NKJV  Help me, Jesus!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Uncategorized

Lovely Lake Bluff Lingering

9 Comments

Day 35 in my march to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

My plan for today was to take a 20 minute walk.  However, here is what actually happened.

I got a call this morning from Wayne, a dear brother and friend.  We chatted about this blog and then firmed up some plans for this October.  It was a delightful way to start my Saturday.  Talking with the Best Man from our wedding and thinking of him, his amazing wife and their lovely family.  *happy sigh*

Then I went to breakfast at the Full Moon.  While I was there I im-ed with my dear sis-in-law.  There I learned of the death of another sis-in-law’s sister.  This is out of the blue, as she died from an aneurism.  So sad! My heart goes out to Judy and Howard.

Then although I LOVE the Full Moon for breakfast, their coffee is not-so-good.  So my next stop was our local drive-through Starbucks.   I ordered my coffee, but when I got to the window to pick it up there was a wasp hanging out there.  So I went inside to pick up my skinny caramel latte.  What a lovely surprise awaited me there: Jake and Eliza were there just ordering some coffee.  I had a short, sweet visit with them, and then I was on my way.

Next stop: I parked in front of Inovasi (a local eatery in town).  Now if you’ve been to Lake Bluff, then you know what a pretty, little, Norman Rockwellian (to quote my cousin Terry) place it is.  What better place to take an afternoon stroll?  I walked to Viola, a favorite local shop and picked up a 60044 bag.  Then I walked to Peg Ann & Co., another favorite local shop and picked up a couple of t-shirts.  Then I gathered up my bags and started walking.  I walked a block past the library to 4th of July corner, so named because we watch the 4th of July parade from there. Then I crossed the street and walked to the post office.  Then I crossed the road and walked back to my car.  Now you may be thinking that that is not a very far walk.  And maybe it’s not very far…for you.  But for me, who has been majoring in the five minute walk, it was far.  I was very out of breath and a bit shaky by the time I got back to the car.  And, here’s the great part, I was out there walking and shopping for 30 minutes!!  I can’t tell you the last time I was on my feet for 30 minutes.  Having just come through a year of sedentary depression, I know it’s been longer than that year.

I feel like Rocky must have felt when he made it to the top of those stairs!  🙂  Victorious!  Thank you for taking the time to read this rather lengthy entry.  Love all y’all!  Meet you at the Kingdom!